Paul Agostino
Encyclopedia
Paul Agostino is an retired Australian football (soccer) player who played as a striker. He played the majority of his club football outside Australia, most notably with 1860 Munich
in Germany
for ten years. Agostino attended Findon High School in his hometown of Adelaide
.
, the South Australian striker burst on to the national scene in 1991 in his first season at senior level with West Adelaide SC
in the old and now defunct NSL
. It was at this time that "Aga" was picked in the Australian World Youth Championships squad – a squad which contained the likes of Paul Okon
and Mark Bosnich
during one of Australia's 'Golden Generations' – which made the semi-finals of that competition.
, where he signed with Young Boys
. Agostino stayed in Bern for two seasons which was invaluable in enabling him to adapt to European life and football. It was in Switzerland that he learnt to speak German which would later help his move to Germany in 1997. He then had a short stint with Yverdon before making the move to England. Agostino signed with Bristol City in 1995 and it was in his second season with Bristol City that he began to score more regularly, bagging 16 goals in the old Division 1 (the second-tier of English club football).
After two productive seasons in Bristol
, Agostino's growing reputation caught the eye of German Bundesliga
side 1860 München. He was signed by the club in 1997 at the age of 22. Agostino stayed with the Munich
club for a full decade, enduring spells both in and out of the side. Agostino played at the highest level while in Munich, representing 1860 in both the Champions League
and the UEFA Cup. He enjoyed his best form for 1860 in the 2000–01 season, scoring 12 goals for the light blues, while Agostino regularly featured in the first team from 1999 to 2002. He fell down the pecking order at 1860 after this and typically played only a handful of games each season until it was revealed the he would be leaving the club on amicable terms at the end of the Second Bundesliga 2006–07 season.
team Adelaide United
had agreed on a two-year contract with Agostino which saw the striker return to his home city for the first time in fifteen years.
Although never prolific in his goal-scoring, Agostino maintained around a one-goal-every-four-games ratio throughout his career. The obvious exception is his national-team record, where he averaged almost a goal every other game.
His injury-prone record did endear him to the A-League public, with many questioning the value for money that Adelaide are getting from their 'marquee' player. It was announced on Tuesday 30 December 2008 that Agostino would retire at the end of the 2008–09 season.
1 – included A-League
final series statistics
2 – includes Club World Cup
statistics; UEFA Cup statistics; UEFA Intertoto Cup
statistics; Asian Champions League
statistics (included in season commencing after group stages).
|1996||2||0
|-
|1997||0||0
|-
|1998||0||0
|-
|1999||0||0
|-
|2000||12||6
|-
|2001||2||0
|-
|2002||0||0
|-
|2003||0||0
|-
|2004||1||1
|-
|2005||1||0
|-
!Total||18||7
|}
TSV 1860 München
Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The club's football team plays in the Second Bundesliga, after relegation from the Bundesliga following the 2003–04 season...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for ten years. Agostino attended Findon High School in his hometown of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
.
Club career
Having started his club career at Salisbury UnitedSalisbury United
Salisbury United Football Club are a football club from Salisbury, South Australia. Salisbury play in the FFSA South Australian State League. Their home ground is at Steve Jarvis Park.-History:...
, the South Australian striker burst on to the national scene in 1991 in his first season at senior level with West Adelaide SC
West Adelaide SC
West Adelaide Soccer Club is an Australian football club from Adelaide, Australia. Currently it plays in the FFSA State League Competition. It participated in the National Soccer League from the 1977 season until the end of the 1998/99 season, except for the periods 1987-89 and 1990-91. It was...
in the old and now defunct NSL
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
. It was at this time that "Aga" was picked in the Australian World Youth Championships squad – a squad which contained the likes of Paul Okon
Paul Okon
Paul Okon is a former Australian football player who retired after playing with Australian side Newcastle United Jets....
and Mark Bosnich
Mark Bosnich
Mark Bosnich is a retired Australian football player and football pundit. He represented Australia 17 times and played for English Premier League clubs Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea.-Manchester United :...
during one of Australia's 'Golden Generations' – which made the semi-finals of that competition.
Overseas
Agostino left for Europe in 1992 and headed for SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where he signed with Young Boys
BSC Young Boys
Berner Sport Club Young Boys 1898 is a Swiss sporting club based in the capital city of Bern. The name is often abbreviated to YB . Abroad, YB is often referred to as Young Boys Bern. The club's colors are yellow and black....
. Agostino stayed in Bern for two seasons which was invaluable in enabling him to adapt to European life and football. It was in Switzerland that he learnt to speak German which would later help his move to Germany in 1997. He then had a short stint with Yverdon before making the move to England. Agostino signed with Bristol City in 1995 and it was in his second season with Bristol City that he began to score more regularly, bagging 16 goals in the old Division 1 (the second-tier of English club football).
After two productive seasons in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Agostino's growing reputation caught the eye of German Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
side 1860 München. He was signed by the club in 1997 at the age of 22. Agostino stayed with the Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
club for a full decade, enduring spells both in and out of the side. Agostino played at the highest level while in Munich, representing 1860 in both the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
and the UEFA Cup. He enjoyed his best form for 1860 in the 2000–01 season, scoring 12 goals for the light blues, while Agostino regularly featured in the first team from 1999 to 2002. He fell down the pecking order at 1860 after this and typically played only a handful of games each season until it was revealed the he would be leaving the club on amicable terms at the end of the Second Bundesliga 2006–07 season.
Adelaide United
It was announced in February 2007 that A-LeagueA-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
team Adelaide United
Adelaide United FC
Adelaide United Football Club is a professional football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It currently participates in the A-League as the sole team from the state of South Australia. Adelaide is one of the most successful clubs in the A-League. The club's home ground is...
had agreed on a two-year contract with Agostino which saw the striker return to his home city for the first time in fifteen years.
Although never prolific in his goal-scoring, Agostino maintained around a one-goal-every-four-games ratio throughout his career. The obvious exception is his national-team record, where he averaged almost a goal every other game.
His injury-prone record did endear him to the A-League public, with many questioning the value for money that Adelaide are getting from their 'marquee' player. It was announced on Tuesday 30 December 2008 that Agostino would retire at the end of the 2008–09 season.
International career
Agostino was a regular member of Socceroos squads during the 1990s and played for Australia twenty times at senior international level scoring nine goals.Career statistics
| Club | Season | League1 | Cup | International2 | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| West Adelaide West Adelaide West Adelaide may refer to:*A geographical region to the west of the Adelaide Central business district*West Adelaide SC, Reformed football club 1978 NSL Champions... |
1991–92 | 17 | 6 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | 17 | 6 |
| BSC Young Boys BSC Young Boys Berner Sport Club Young Boys 1898 is a Swiss sporting club based in the capital city of Bern. The name is often abbreviated to YB . Abroad, YB is often referred to as Young Boys Bern. The club's colors are yellow and black.... |
1992–93 | 12 | 2 | ? | ? | ? | ? | 12 | 2 |
| 1993–94 | 14 | 1 | ? | ? | ? | ? | 14 | 1 | |
| Yverdon Sport Yverdon-Sport FC Yverdon-Sport FC is a Swiss football team from the town of Yverdon-les-Bains. The club plays in an all-white strip, and are currently in the Swiss 1. Liga, the third tier of Swiss football... |
1994–95 | 15 | 6 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | 15 | 6 |
| Bristol City Bristol City F.C. Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City... |
1995–96 | 34 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 8 |
| 1996–97 | 37 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 19 | |
| 1860 München TSV 1860 München Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The club's football team plays in the Second Bundesliga, after relegation from the Bundesliga following the 2003–04 season... |
1997–98 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 4 |
| 1998–99 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1999–00 | 22 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 | |
| 2000–01 | 27 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 34 | 14 | |
| 2001–02 | 29 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 6 | |
| 2002–03 | 32 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2003–04 | 28 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 5 | |
| 2004–05 | 31 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 8 | |
| 2005–06 | 31 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 11 | |
| 2006–07 | 19 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Adelaide United Adelaide United FC Adelaide United Football Club is a professional football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It currently participates in the A-League as the sole team from the state of South Australia. Adelaide is one of the most successful clubs in the A-League. The club's home ground is... |
2007–08 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 |
| 2008–09 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| Total | 349 | 84 | 17 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 382 | 96 | |
1 – included A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
final series statistics
2 – includes Club World Cup
FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
statistics; UEFA Cup statistics; UEFA Intertoto Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
statistics; Asian Champions League
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
statistics (included in season commencing after group stages).
National team statistics
|-|1996||2||0
|-
|1997||0||0
|-
|1998||0||0
|-
|1999||0||0
|-
|2000||12||6
|-
|2001||2||0
|-
|2002||0||0
|-
|2003||0||0
|-
|2004||1||1
|-
|2005||1||0
|-
!Total||18||7
|}
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 19 June 2000 | Papeete, Tahiti Papeete -Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront esplanade*Bougainville Park -Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront... |
17–0 | Win | OFC Nations Cup 2000 2000 OFC Nations Cup Solomon Islands and Vanuatu* qualified for Oceania Nations Cup 2000* Fiji were replaced by Vanuatu .-Polynesia Cup 2000:--------------------------------------------... |
|
| 2. | 19 June 2000 | Papeete, Tahiti Papeete -Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront esplanade*Bougainville Park -Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront... |
17–0 | Win | OFC Nations Cup 2000 2000 OFC Nations Cup Solomon Islands and Vanuatu* qualified for Oceania Nations Cup 2000* Fiji were replaced by Vanuatu .-Polynesia Cup 2000:--------------------------------------------... |
|
| 3. | 19 June 2000 | Papeete, Tahiti Papeete -Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront esplanade*Bougainville Park -Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront... |
17–0 | Win | OFC Nations Cup 2000 2000 OFC Nations Cup Solomon Islands and Vanuatu* qualified for Oceania Nations Cup 2000* Fiji were replaced by Vanuatu .-Polynesia Cup 2000:--------------------------------------------... |
|
| 4. | 7 October 2000 | Dubai, UAE Dubai Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi... |
2–4 | Loss | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 5. | 7 October 2000 | Dubai, UAE Dubai Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi... |
2–4 | Loss | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 6. | 18 February 2004 | Caracas, Venezuela Caracas Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range... |
1–1 | Draw | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
Honours
With Australia:- OFC Nations CupOFC Nations CupThe OFC Nations Cup is an international association football tournament held among the Oceania Football Confederation member nations. It was held every two years from 1996 to 2004; before 1996 there were two other tournaments held at irregular intervals, under the name Oceania Nations Cup...
: 20002000 OFC Nations CupSolomon Islands and Vanuatu* qualified for Oceania Nations Cup 2000* Fiji were replaced by Vanuatu .-Polynesia Cup 2000:--------------------------------------------...